South Tyneside HealthPathways celebrates its first year

The South Tyneside HealthPathways team recently celebrated its first year with a workshop attended by health system representatives from across primary and secondary care, many of whom had directly contributed to pathway development.

Presenters included Chief Executive of South Tyneside CCG Dr David Hambleton, Clinical Editors Dr Dawn Elliot and Dr Paul Nellist, and Cardiologist Dr Mickey Jachuk. The event was made even more special with the attendance of Carolyn Gullery, General Manager, Planning & Funding, Canterbury & West Coast District Health Boards in Christchurch, New Zealand.

In a video recorded on the day, HealthPathways One Year On, Dr David Hambleton said, “We think [HealthPathways] is a great coup for South Tyneside and we’re looking forward to this going from strength to strength.”

Carolyn Gullery was equally impressed with how the first region to adopt HealthPathways in the United Kingdom had taken the idea and made it their own.

She says, “I really look forward to working with South Tyneside in the future, and learning from them in the same way they are learning from us.”

As well as discussing future next steps for South Tyneside’s HealthPathways programme, the workshop provided an opportunity to celebrate the progress to date with well over 100 pathways now available on the South Tyneside HealthPathways website for local GPs to use during patient consultations.

It was also a chance for the South Tyneside HealthPathways team to thank Carolyn for the gift of a Maori hoe (paddle) from the Canterbury HealthPathways and Streamliners teams in New Zealand (see photo below).

Gift from the Canterbury HealthPathways and Streamliners teams in New Zealand. The plaque reads:

“This hoe (paddle) is a means of propelling a vessel through water. Spiritually, it represents the motivation, drive, and energy required to move forward in life’s journey. Culturally, it represents prestige and mana.

From the Canterbury HealthPathways and Streamliners teams in Aotearoa/New Zealand
to our friends in the South Tyneside HealthPathways team.”